Highfield Garden Services Linlithgow

Great picture from a client showing what he has done with his gazebo. It looks stunning in the night with all these lights. ✨

Here is my latest project, a river top side table using electric blue epoxy resin. This was commissioned during my clearance sale in May. Only the legs to fit. The colour is so vibrant and stunning against the birch.

I have lost my phone (stupidly as well!) My apologies if I can't reply to calls, texts etc... I'll try to get this sorted as soon as possible. Thanks

Plenty of work behind the scene. This is going to be a great night.

Don't miss your chance to party along to the Shang-a-lang sound of the music!

Tickets are available from
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/deacons-court/t-dvxervp

First batch, first pour. Let's see how they will turn out. Birch wood Electric blue river top side table. Coasters, red with a touch of black inside.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Why not come along and see my fantastic, unique and varied collection of woodcraft. I am also selling off excess whisky barrel staves/lids, perfect for budding crafters. I'll even have my pyrography kit warmed up to show anyone keen on woodburning. Everyone welcome - for browsing and/or buying (commissions taken too). Tea/coffee available. On-street parking is limited - please be courteous to my neighbours. Looking forward to seeing you there 😀

A date for your diary, 27th and 28th April 2024. Come along and see what I have been making 👍

My helper today. Superstar monoblocker otherwise known as my son.

Brand new bespoke garden gate.

I have finally finished one of my winter projects, just in time for the start of the gardening season. Client is very happy with his new bespoke gazebo. I enjoyed the whole process from design to building and then adding the final touches.

My latest artwork, Burr Oak wall light on pulley. Light is dimmable which gives a nice effect at night. The Burr Oak is simply gorgeous. I used a gloss hard wax oil as finishing touch (3 coats only). If interested, I have a few more Burr Oak planks to make a similar wall lights. Please let me know.

Away to France to see my family. I will reply to texts, messages and calls when back on 2nd Feb. Thanks

Happy New Year to all my clients and friends. Looking forward to 2024. Hope that everyone of you have a great time. These pictures are showing Menton in the South East of France where I grew up. Great times spent there. Phil

Oak mantle piece and corbels oiled, waxed and fitted. Stunning look...and wife very happy!

Bespoke oak mantle piece with lots of characters. In progress though.

That's my bees ready for the winter now. Mouse guard on, put fondant on top and insulation in place. Did I mentioned that when I opened the lid (crown board) I found about 10 queen wasps were living in! All gone now!

Hi folks, one of my clients is giving away this outdoor play system free to a good home. It has 2 swings, a mini sand pit, a rock wall and a slide. It has been used and there are minor repairs to be made. It is still in the client's garden and it has to be dismantled. If you are interested in it, please let me know. I can help you to dismantle and remove it for a small cost to cover my time. However, a van is needed and you will need to arrange this.

Wasps

As Summer nears its end, this is definitely appropriate here in the Scottish countryside where I frequently have to evict wasps from the kitchen. It takes only a small shift in our attitudes to realise how marvellous they are. I couldn't track down the original author to credit them.

"You're having a few drinks in the garden with your friends, or a family BBQ, when a load of pesky wasps arrive to spoil the party. You haven't seen them all summer and then suddenly they're all over the place, annoying everybody, causing panic and helicopter hands. Sound familiar?

August is the time of year when people start to ask 'what's the point of wasps?' The answer may surprise you.

Did you know that there are approximately 9,000 species of wasp here in the UK? These include the parasitic wasps, some of which are so diminutive they are like pin heads. Of the 250 larger wasps which have have a stinger, the majority are solitary and cause no upset to humans.

However, when we talk about wasps, we're almost certainly referring to the our nation's nemesis, the Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris). To understand why these wasps become really annoying this time of year, you first need to understand their life cycle.

Common wasps live socially like bees but, unlike honey bees, they haven't evolved a way of storing food to allow the colony to survive the winter. In fact the only survivors are the young, fertilised queens who hibernate over winter. They emerge in the spring to build little walnut sized nests where they they lay around 20 eggs.

The queen feeds the resulting larvae until around May, when they mature and become workers. Then she focuses on more egg-laying and the workers get on with feeding them, enlarging the nest as they go along. By this time of year the nest has grown to around 40cm in diameter, often larger, and that nest can contains up to 10,000 wasps!

Then, in August/September, a dramatic change takes place. The queen quits her egg laying (save a few that will go on to be future queens and males to fertilise them) and no longer releases the pheromone that causes the workers to work.

Basically, these workers are made redundant, and are left jobless and disorientated. And the problem for us is that, although adult wasps are insect predators, that meat is to feed the larvae not themselves. In their adult state wasps are not able to digest solid food and need sugary liquid to survive. Now, with fewer or no larvae to feed, they become uncontrollably and insatiably hungry.

Wasps love easy food such as over ripe fruit and your fizzy drinks. Towards the end of their brief lives, their hunger drives them to search for easy sugar at exactly the time when we are more likely to be using our gardens and outdoor spaces for eating sweet things. The timing couldn't be better for them or worse for us.

So why are those who panic and try to swat them away more likely to be stung than those who remain calm?

Well the problem is that these redundant workers have their own pheromone, which helps protect the nest from attack earlier in the year, and that's essentially a chemical rallying cry to other workers that the nest is under attack.

So when you swat that annoying wasp and it feels under attack, that rallying cry will go out. Suddenly it all kicks off, and loads more wasps will start arriving in aggressive 'red-mist' mode, fired up and ready to defend their nest. This is why the best advice is to stay calm.

Think of it this way, from May that wasp has been working its socks off helping to keep things nice on planet earth. Now it’s going to die. So why not give it a break, save your swats, put a bowl of sugary drink somewhere out of your way, and let it go out on a nice sugar rush. At the very least don't kill it.

What's the point of wasps? Without them it’s likely that human life would not survive because, in the absence of their role as predators, our planet would be overrun by even more damaging insects such as aphids, ants and caterpillars."

What do you think? I'm very please to show my logo on my workwear 👍

Finally, my hives have new residents in and settled. Living next door to each other, we have the Buckfast family and on the other side we have the Carniolan family. I suspect their trip from Fyfe wasn't pleasant as they (the Buckfast family) launched an attack on me as soon as the lid was open. My bright red gloves didn't help either. Slightly in pain tonight with all these stings. It is fair to say that there is a possibility that I might be doing a harvest this year as the two new colonies are very strong and healthy. Happy beekeeper 🐝

Looks like a great evening... and of course me singing with this great bunch of guys (yes me!). So come along and enjoy the show.

New scarifier machine straight out from the shop. A lot of moss this year so this is the perfect tool for a healthier lawn. Best time to scarify is now till june and then maybe one more use in early september (light run). Also, new blades fitted in the heavy lawnmower. Both machines ready to go.

Last one for me this year. Fantastic venue, 20 stalls. Please share if you have the time. Phil

I'm really looking forward to this event on Saturday. Why not come along and see what I have been making. Each item is handmade. Get some Christmas gifts or even a treat for yourself. Phil

There is no better way to start the 'Woodcraft' season than with a course at the Wood Place near Lanark with Patrick Baxter.
I learned how to make Dovetail joints by hand and you can see the results in these pictures. It took a while but I am proud of myself. I intend on making more boxes soon to perfect the technique. If you would like to commission a bespoke pyrography design or wording on a box with a lid, please DM me or get in touch via this page.

With the end of the gardening season fast approaching I am turning my attention to woodcraft. These are some of the items I have been working on recently. My first craft fair this year is on 22nd October at the Longcroft Hall (St. Ninian's, near the West Port). I will have these items - and many more - for sale on the day and would love to see you there. For direct sales or bespoke orders please DM me.
Phil

And here we go, proud owner of my first beehive. Queen in and beezzy. Buckfast bees. They are lovely. Don't think any honey will be made this year as the colony is too small (yet). Next year definitely!

Had a brilliant day. First day trying to be a beekeeper. My name is on the list for a new 'queen' coming soon. Watch this page for 100% pure honey for sale........if my bees work hard enough!!

**HANDCRAFTED COFFEE TABLES** - here is some of my most recent work. The small river-top tables with matching coasters (blue, green, purple and red) are made of birch. The coffee bean table is made of yew and the glossy table is an upcycled project with epoxy resin. These are all for sale, send a message if interested.

Coffee bean table £350
Glossy epoxy resin contemporary design (black, white, bronze and gold) £250
Small river-top side tables are £200 each. For the four sets shown you will get the set of matching coasters thrown in for free (promotional offer) - after the current four sets sell, the coasters will be available individually at a cost of £25 per set of 4.